Designing effective messages

The correct message and its effective delivery to intended audiences is key to the success of Advocacy, Communication and Social Mobilisation (ACSM). Content is the most important aspect of communication. 

An effective TB related message must have the following characteristics:

1. Draw and retain attention: It should be attractive enough to draw attention and should be believable.
2. Short and simple for easy comprehension: Should include less number of technical terms, must be focused, simple and direct. Do not use any unnecessary information.
3. Localised to the extent possible to enable the audience’s identification with the message.
4. Sustain interest in the unfolding ‘story’.
5. Appealing; the targeted audience must perceive it as beneficial: Audiences should be able to perceive the benefit of adopting the suggested desirable behaviour, conveying that the benefits outweigh the barriers.
6. Lead to the desired action for behaviour change in the audience’s self-interest.
7. Consistent: Scientific findings of health often change with new research. Messages from your program should attempt to convey consistent and accurate information.
8. Caters to the head and the heart: Depending on the topic, messages should have the desired tone to have the desired impact on the target audience. For example, the tone may be reassuring, alarming, challenging, or straightforward.
9. Creates trust/ credibility: Information should be believable and have a credible source, as determined by your audience research.
10. Calls to action: TB-related messages should have a sense of urgency and deliver a call to action.

How to design an effective message

• Designing appropriate messages requires a good understanding of both the issues being faced by the TB elimination programme and the socio-psychographic profile of the target audiences. This understanding must of course be matched by the creativity on the part of the message designer.

• A message brief should be developed before creating the actual communication message. The message brief calls for inputs from the programme staff and the Information, Education and Communication (IEC) Officer, based on the communication strategy. Does this brief inform the message content on what will be said?

• Key messages guide the development of the actual messages to be used for communication. Key messages contain the essential themes that should be included in all communication channels, and they also work as a message brief for the design agency during the creation of the actual message.

Examples of effective TB related messages

Resources

• Advocacy, Communication & Social Mobilisation (ACSM) for Tuberculosis Control - A Handbook for Country Programmes, WHO, 2007.
• Operational Handbook on Advocacy, Communication & Social Mobilisation for RNTCP, Central TB Division, MoHFW, GoI, 2014.

Assessment: